Hinge device



June N, 1968 Filed Aug. 5, 1966 s. L. BALDWIN ETAL 3,387,737

HINGE DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jun@ M, 1968 s. L. BALDWIN ETAL 3,387,737

HINGE DEVICE Filed Aug 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,387,737 HINGE DEVICE fianruel l.. itali-afin, Flat Rock, and .lohn Stuart Franklin, Hendersonville, N., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Ang. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 570,545 9 Claims. (Cl. ZZll-Sl) The present invention relates to a hinge device, and more particularly concerns a hinge structure for closures of street lighting luminaires.

it is an object of the invention to provide a hinge device for hingedly connecting parts together while permitting separation of the parts only in predetermined relative positions thereof so as to avoid inadvertent separation thereof,

It is a particular object of the invention to provide a hinge structure of the above type adapted for hingedly connecting a closure member to `a luminaire housing.

It is another' object of the invention to provide a hinge device for the bottom closure of a luminaire whereby the closure may freely swing downwardly from the luminaire to provide access to the luminaire interior while being prevented from separating'from the luminaire housing during such movement.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a hinge device of the above-described type wherein the closure has a relatively close tit with the luminaire housing at the hinge portion when in closed position,

It is a further object of the invention to provide a hinge device of the above type which is formed to provide barrier means to prevent entry of foreign material and objects into the luminaire interior and to provide handle means for carrying `the closure when separated from the luminaire.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

With the above objects in view, the present invention relates, in a preferred embodiment, to a hinge device in a luminaire which -comprises an inverted trough-shaped housing having a rear wall portion defining an aperture for receiving an elongated support, the rear wall portion being formed on opposite sides of the aperture with substantially U-shaped hinge bearings and with retaining means projecting reawardly therefrom above the top of the hinge bearings and offset laterally inwardly therefrom, each retaining means and the top of the adjacent hinge bearing delining an opening therebetween, a closure member hingedly and separably connected to the rear end of the housing for closing at least -a portion of the open bottom thereof, the closure member being formed with a pair of ridges extending respectively in substantial alignment with the projecting retaining means on opposite sides of the aperture, the ridges having hinge pins formed at their rear ends extending laterally outwardly therefrom and seated respectively in the hinge bearings, whereby the closure member is pivotally supported by the housing and is swingable relative thereto, the closure member being formed with rear surface portions respectively facing the adjacent hinge bearings, each surface portion and the adjacent hinge pin detining a spacing of predetermined distance therebetween in which the corresponding hinge bearing is received, the rear surface portions serving to prevent removal of the hinge pins through the aforesaid openings by abutting the bottom of the hinge bearings, the closure member being swingable to a predetermined position relative to the housing wherein the rear surface portions are clear of the bottom of the hinge bearings to allow passing of the hinge pins through the opening whereby the closure may be separated from the housing.

The hinge device is also provided with a cam portion BSL? Patented .lune lll, ltS

ice

which rides under the projecting retaining means when the closure member is swung rearwardly to extreme open position, whereby the closure member is prevented from separation from lthe housing when in the extreme open position.

The invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of a street lighting luminaire in which the invention is embodied;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective View of the rear portion of the FIGURE 1 luminaire showing the hinge structure of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the luminaire with the bottom door in closed position;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side view of the hinge structure shown with the bottom door of the luminaire in closed position;

FIGURE 5 is a similar view showing the arrangement of the hinged parts with the bottom door in a free hanging position;

FIGURE 6 shows the arrangement of the parts when the bottom door is overswung to an extreme open position, and

FIGURE 7 shows the position of the parts in which the bottom door may be removed from the luminaire housing.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG- URE l, there is shown a street lighting luminaire cornprising an upper housing 1 mounted at its rear end on horizontal support pipe P. Housing l is of generally inverted trough-shaped form having a reflector 2 and lamp 3 (such as a gas discharge lamp) arranged in the front portion and enclosed therein by a globe or refractor 4. Refractor retaining frame 5 is hingedly connected to housing 1 at support member 6 and is releasably attached at its front end to the housing by suitable latch means (not shown) operated by latch handle 7. The open bottom of housing 1 at its rear portion is closed by a door 8 which is hingedly connected at its rear end to housing l by hinge device 9 of the present invention and is releasably secured at its front to housing support 6 by a screw or other suitable means. Shown in interrupted lines in FIG- URE 1 is door S in open position as it freely hangs down from hinge 9, thus providing access to the interior of luminaire housing i and to operating components mounted on the interior surface of door S, such as ballast ltransforn'xer lo, photoelectric control unit il, and other components not shown.

As shown in FGURES 2 and 3, the rear end of housing 1 denes an arch-shaped opening 15 through which support pipe P is adapted to be inserted for clamping by internally located sliptter means (not shown), as well understood by those skilled in the art.

The rear wall of housing l is integrally formed on opposite sides of opening l5 with rearwardly projecting hinge retaining members lo, 17 having downwardly facing surfaces 16a, 17a, respectively. Below projections 16, 17, housing l is further formed with integral generally U-shaped hinge bearings 18, 19 which are offset laterally outwardly from retaining projections 16, 17, as seen best in FIGURE 3.

Door 8 is formed at its rear end with integral longitudinally extending ridges 2t), 21 substantially aligned respectively with retaining projections lr6, i7. Ridges 20, 2l are integrally formed at their rear ends with hinge pivot pins 22, 23 of generally oval cross-section which extend laterally outwardly and are seated in hinge bearings 155, 19. Ridgcs 2t), 21 are so dimensioned and arranged that in the closed position of door 8, as seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, the upper rear ends of the ridges which project radially from the axis of the pivot pins are in contact (or nearly so) with the bottom surfaces of retaining projections 16, 17. On their lower rearward edges, ridges 2G, 21 are formed with cam surfaces 24, 25 which project radially from the axes of their respective hinge pins 22, 23. Door 8 is formed adjacent the outer sides of ridges Ztl, 21 with rearwardly facing edge faces 26, 27 (see FIGURE 3), which define with the corresponding hinge pin a spacing in which the hinge bearing is received. The plane of each edge face 26, 27 is spaced a predetermined distance from the respective hinge pins 22., 23, such that unless door 8 is swung outwardly a sufiicient distance for the edge faces 26, 2'7 to clear the bottoms of the hinge bearings 18, 19, door 8 cannot be removed from hinge bearings 18, 19 due to edge faces 26, 27 contacting the outer bottom surfaces of bearings 18, 19 and thereby limiting the upward movement of hinge pins 22, 23 toward the openings between retaining projections 16, 17 and the outer ends of hinge bearings 18, .19.

The operation of the described hinge structure will become clear from FIGURES 4-7 which show, with respect to the right-hand hinge structure as viewed in FIGURE 3, progressive swinging movement of door S from closed position to various open positions, including a particular position permitting its removal from the luminaire housing. In the closed position shown in FIGURE 4, door S is arranged with rear face 27 spaced from the front wall of hinge bearing 19 of housing 1, while the upper rear edge of ridge 21 substantially engages the underside of projection 17 and oval pivot pin 23 is seated in bearing 19 with its long axis vertical. The close fit of the hinged parts in this position thus prevents any appreciable play between the door 2 and housing 1 at their rear ends. In the open, free hang position of door 8 shown in FIGURE 5, pivot pin 23 rests in bearing 19 with its long axis horizontal, and rear edge face 27 of door 3 is sufficiently close to the bottom surface 19a of bearing 19 so that door S cannot be moved upwardly toward housing 1 far enough to permit removal of pivot pin 23 through the opening between the outer end of bearing 19 and overhanging projection 17.

FIGURE 6 shows the arrangement of the parts when door 8 is in the overswing position, such as can occur, for example, when door 8 is dropped from its fully closed position and allowed to swing freely to an extreme rear* ward position. As is seen, in this arrangement, cam portion 25 of ridge 21 rides under projection 17 of the housing and thereby retains pivot pin 23 seated in bearing 19, so that door 8 cannot accidentally be separated from housing 1 during such overswing movement.

FIGURE 7 shows the one position of door 8 relative to housing 1, which is between the free hang position shown in FIGURE and the overswing position shown in FIGURE 6, in which door 8 can be removed from the housing. In this position, cam portion 25 is clear of the underside of projection 17, rear edge `face 27 of door 8 is clear of the bottom surface 19a of bearing 19, and the long axis of oval pivot pin 23 is substantially aligned with the axis of the opening between projection 17 and the outer end of bearing 19. As a result, pivot pin 23 can pass through the latter opening as door 8 is lifted upwardly out of engagement with housing bearings 18, 19 and removed entirely from the housing.

While in the illustrated embodiment pivot pins 22, 23 are shown as having an oval cross section, it will be understood that the pins can be of cylindrical or other form.

A further feature of the invention, as seen in FIGURE 3, comprises a wall 30 formed integrally with and projecting upwardly from the interior surface of door 8 and extending transverse the latter near its rearend forwardly of ridges 20, 21. Wall 30 serves a number of functions. It is integral with and reinforces ridges 20, 21 of the described hinge structure, and contributes to the strength of door 8 in the hinge region. In the fully closed position of door 8, as shown in FIGURE 3, and with the luminaire mounted in operating position on a supporting pipe, wall 30 serves as a barrier against the entry of rain, birds, and other unwanted objects. In addition, wall 3G may be utilized as a handle for conveniently carrying door 8 when it is removed from the luminaire and which is relatively heavy in view of the several electrical operating components mounted thereon.

There is thus provided by the invention an improved hinge structure which is applicable to a wide variety of hingedly connected parts, and which is particularly suitable for separably connecting closures to luminaire housings, which permits frce swinging movement of the closure relative to the housing while preventing accidental separation of the parts, which provides a close fit at the hinge connection when the parts are in closed operating position, and which provides for ready separation of the parts desired.

While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without actually departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover all such equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A hinge device comprising, in combination, a first member having a substantially U-shaped bearing means, and retaining means projecting therefrom above the top of said U-shaped bearing means and offset from the plane of the latter, said retaining means and the top of said U-shaped bearing means defining an opening therebetween, and a second member hingedly and separably connected to said first member, said second member having ridge means extending in a plane in substantial alignment with said projecting retaining means, said ridge means having hinge pin means projecting transversely from said plane thereof and received in said U-shaped bearing means, whereby said second member is pivotally supported by said first member and swingable relative thereto, said second member being formed with a surface portion adjacent said hinge pin means and defining therewith a space of predetermined distance in which the bottom portion of said U-shaped bearing means is received during swinging movement of said second member, Said surface portion serving to prevent removal of said hinge pin means through said opening by abutting the bottom of said bearing means, said second member being swingable to a predetermined position relative to said first member wherein said surface portion is clear of the bottom 0f said bearing means to allow passing of said hinge pin means through said opening, and whereby said second member may be separated from said first member.

2. A hinge device as defined in claim 1, said second member being swingable on said first member from a closed position to an open position, said ridge means having a portion projecting radially from the axis of said hinge pin means and co-acting with said retaining means in said closed position for preventing substantial movement of said ridge means and said hinge pin means relative to said first member in said closed position.

3. A hinge device as dened in claim 1, said second member being swingable from a closed position to extreme open positions, said ridge means being formed with a cam portion projecting radially from the axis of said hinge pin means, said cam portion being arranged to ride under said projecting retaining means when said second member is swung toward said extreme open positions beyond said predetermined position, whereby said second member is prevented from separation from said first member when in said extreme open positions.

4. A hinge device as defined in claim 3, said ridge means having a portion projecting radially from the axis of said hinge pin means and co-acting with said retaining means in said closed position for preventing substantial movement of said ridge means and said hinge pin means relative to said first member in said closed position.

5. ln a luminaire, a housing open at its bottom and having a rear wall portion dening an aperture for receiving an elongated support, said rear wall portion being formed on opposite sides of said aperture with substantially U- shaped hinge bearings and with retaining means projecting rearwardly therefrom above the top of said hinge bearings and odset laterally inwardly therefrom, each said retaining means and the top of the adjacent hinge bearing defining an opening tierebetween, a closure member hingedly and separably connected to the rear end of said housing for closing at least a portion of the open bottom thereof, said closure member being formed with a pair of ridges extending respectively in substantial alignment with the projecting retaining means on opposite sides of said aperture, said ridges having hinge pins at their rear ends extending laterally outwardly therefrom and seated respectively in said hinge bearings, whereby the closure member is pivotally supported by said housing and is swingable relative thereto, said closure member being formed with a surface portion adjacent each said hinge pin and deiining therewith a spacing of predetermined distance in which the corresponding hinge bearing is received, said surface portion serving to prevent removal of said hinge pin through said opening by abutting the bottom of said hinge bearings, said closure member being swingable to a predetermined position relative to said housing wherein said surface portieri is clear of the bottom of said hinge bearing to allow passing of said hinge pin through said opening, whereby said closure may be separated from said housing.

6. A device as deiined in claim 5, said closure member being swingable on said housing from a closed position to an open position, said ridges having a portion projecting radially :trom the axis of said hinge pins and co-acting with said projecting retaining means in said closed position for preventing substantial movement of said ridges and said hinge pins relative to said housing in said closed position.

A device as delined in claim 5, said closure member being swingable from a closed position to extreme open positions, said ridges being formed with a cam portion projecting radially from the axis of said hinge pins, said cam portion being arranged to ride under said projecting retaining means when said closure member is swung toward said extreme open positions beyond said predetermined position, whereby said closure member is prevented from separation from said housing when in said extreme open positions.

8. A device as dened in claim 7, said ridges having a portion projecting radially from the axis of said hinge pins and co-acting with said retaining means in said closed position for preventing substantial movement of said ridges and said hinge pins relative to said housing in said ciosed position.

9. A device as defined in claim 5, and combined barrier and handle means on said closure member comprising a transverse wall formed on and projecting from the interior surface thereof adjacent the front ends of said ridges, whereby said wall serves as a barrier in the operating position of said luminaire to prevent entry of foreign objects and as a handle for carrying said closure when removed frorn said housing.

No references cited.

JAMES B. MARBERT, Primary Examiner, 

1. A HINGE DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED BEARING MEANS, AND RETAINING MEANS PROJECTING THEREFROM ABOVE THE TOP OF SAID U-SHAPED BEARING MEANS AND OFFSET FROM THE PLANE OF THE LATTER, SAID RETAINING MEANS AND THE TOP OF SAID U-SHAPED BEARING MEANS DEFINING AN OPENING THEREBETWEEN, AND A SECOND MEMBER HINGEDLY AND SEPARABLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST MEMBER, SAID SECOND MEMBER HAVING RIDGE MEANS EXTENDING IN A PLANE IN SUBSTANTIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PROJECTING RETAINING MEANS, SAID RIDGE MEANS HAVING HINGE PIN MEANS PROJECTING TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID PLANE THEREOF AND RECEIVED IN SAID U-SHAPED BEARING MEANS, WHEREBY SAID SECOND MEMBER IS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID FIRST MEMBER AND SWINGABLE RELATIVE THERETO, SAID SECOND MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A SURFACE PORTION ADJACENT SAID HINGE PIN MEANS AND DEFINING THEREWITH A SPACE OF PREDETERMINED DISTANCE IN WHICH THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID U-SHAPED BEARING MEANS IS RECEIVED DURING 